Tag Archives: doolin

  AN American bride has recalled her “perfect wedding day” ceremony, which was held in idyllic surroundings on farmland near the Cliffs of Moher last year. Shannon and Thomas Young exchanged their wedding vows at a “most gorgeous” location on land owned by Pat Sweeney, who provides guided walking tours on his Cliff Walk. The ceremony and reception, which was held on May 9, 2017, illustrates the tourism spin-off from the introduction of the cliff walking tours. In total, 71 guests – 63 Americans, two English, and the remaining include their Irish friends enjoyed a series of visitor attractions throughout North Clare. All of their wedding guests stayed in Doolin. The wedding party booked all 17 rooms at Hotel Doolin from Sunday until Thursday. Shannon created a spreadsheet listing a large number of the Bed and Breakfasts in Doolin so that her guests could book a room that would be walking distance to the hotel. Most guests stayed from Sunday …

A Polish tourist was killed in a car accident near the Cliffs of Moher two years ago after a driver was confused because his SatNav told him to go in the wrong direction. At Ennis Circuit Court, counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly, said the State accepted that Grzegorz Barski’s SatNav telling him to go straight on instead of taking a right for the Cliffs of Moher at a junction was a contributory cause in the fatal accident on May 31, 2016. In the crash, the front-seat passenger in Mr Barski’s car, Grzegorz Frydrych died while a motorcyclist, Charles Killeen, who collided with the car, suffered head injuries, including a fractured skull and multiple broken facial bones and was hospitalised for one month. Mr Barski, (36), of Jugback Crescent, Swords, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Mr Frydrych and careless driving causing serious bodily harm to Mr Killeen. Mr Barski’s car collided with Mr Killeen’s …

NORTH Clare Councillor Richard Nagle has asked that the council liaise with the Clare Local Development Committee (CLDC) to put in place a maintenance and upgrade programme for the cliff walk from Doolin to Hags Head, in consultation with local landowners. He raised the issue at the March meeting of West Clare Municipal District. “If we’re serious about promoting tourism and increasing the number of bed nights in North Clare, this is a primary resource. It is hugely popular and it doesn’t matter what day of the year you go there, there are people walking. There are hundreds of people walking it on a daily basis, during the summer months in particular,” Councillor Nagle said. He told the meeting that the surface is now in a very poor condition and that maintenance is needed immediately. “Since it was initially developed, very little money has been spent on that walk. The problem now is that the surface has deteriorated. I see …

THE Clare launch of Darkness Into Light 2018 took place in Shannon this week, with walks set to take place in Doolin, Sixmilebridge, Killaloe-Ballina, Ennis and Shannon on May 12. This is Pieta House’s flagship annual fundraising and awareness event and, last year, 180,000 people took part. Nora Conway is clinical manager of the Pieta House Centre in Mungret and she says the event has grown dramatically, showing how people feel about removing any remaining stigma around mental health. “It’s the 10th anniversary of Darkness into Light and, I suppose, from the days when 100 or 150 people would come out, compared to 120,000 nationally, it’s phenomenal. I think it’s a statement, really, that the people of Ireland are making. A statement by coming together, walking shoulder to shoulder and doing what they can to lift the stigma around suicide and self-harm. The more we promote the service, the more we encourage people to ask for help, and the more …

Details of a village enhancement strategy for Doolin will be outlined at a public meeting on Thursday night next. Bucholz McEvoy Architects, on behalf of Clare County Council and the strategy design team, will present the final plan, which seeks to enhance the public realm of Doolin, at a meeting in Hotel Doolin. Among the enhancement strategies indentified is the creation of a Doolin Greenway incorporating shared surfaces, the provision of additional off-street parking and the provision of designated bus stop locations. “The village enhancement strategy forms part of the Doolin Strategic Master Plan and Enhancement Strategy, which also features plans to develop a Visitors Service Centre at Doolin Pier, details of which are expected to be finalised during 2018,” stated Brian McCarthy, acting director of economic development, Clare County Council. He added, “The event on Thursday night is the concluding element of the preparation of a non-statutory village enhancement plan following previous public consultations in June. Over the last …

Tourists visiting the Aran Islands will have their journey time cut by more than half from April, as Doolin Ferry Company has announced that it is to launch a new boat, reducing the journey time from Doolin to Inis Oírr from 35 minutes to 15 minutes. The €2 million investment comes on the back of the redevelopment of Doolin Pier and is expected to generate up to 10 seasonal jobs at the ferry company. Liam O’Brien, who is the son of Bill O’Brien, the director of Doolin Ferry Company, said the new 200-passenger ferry, which will be called the Doolin Express, will be in place from April, offering the fastest crossing time to the Aran Islands. “It’s a new boat and we soft-launched it at the Holiday World Show this week. It will take 200 passengers and you will get to Inis Oírr in 15 minutes. It has an electronic stabilising system to counteract the waves and it is the …

Gardaí in Ennistymon are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of Maria Hennigar, missing from Doolin since early November. Aged 35, Maria is described as 5’7″, brown hair, blue/green eyes and of medium build. She was last seen at Doonmacphelim, Doolin. She was reported missing on November 22 by a concerned neighbour. Anyone who may have seen Maria or may know of her whereabouts is asked to contact Ennistymon Garda station on 065 7072180, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

PASSIONATE about playing himself and bringing the music of others into the public domain, Eoin O’Neill is a big part of the scene in Clare. “I arrived in Doolin on December 28, 1979. I thought I was coming for an afternoon and I’m still here,” he says of his arrival in this county. That wasn’t far off 40 years ago and he has been playing here since, while he also hosts shows on local radio. “I’m more passionate than ever. I’m lucky in that I have a couple of shows on Clare FM and that allows me to feature the local musicians, especially the local ones that should be featured and aren’t featured enough. I’m allowed to play whatever I want and I appreciate that so much.” A bazouki player, he has a few new albums coming out. “At the moment, I have two albums completed and ready for release. One is with a band I play with, The Fiddle …